Field Notes · Layer 03
Strategic Forces
Dynamics that act on organizations whether or not anyone names them.
A force acts on an organization the way gravity acts on a thrown object, regardless of intent. This library only names them, so a response can be intentional instead of accidental.
The library
Named, not yet solved
01
Drift
Organizations rarely become something unintended through one decision.
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02
Coherence
A customer meets one company. The company meets itself as departments.
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03
Category Gravity
Every category pulls the companies inside it toward looking like the category.
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04
Identity
An organization becomes whatever it repeatedly reinforces about itself.
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05
Recognition
People cannot respond to what they do not recognize.
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06
Idea Decay
An idea is rarely killed. It is softened until it can no longer do its job.
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07
Organizational Memory
Organizations remember what they repeatedly do, not what they say.
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08
Friction
Most resistance is structural, not personal.
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09
Multiplication
A system amplifies whatever you put into it, including the flaws.
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10
Compounding
Small decisions rarely stay small.
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11
The Protective Function
Every mature organization funds a function to protect its health. This is the one that protects coherence.
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